Chapter 42 Issue a Warrant

"How's your current cultivation coming along?"

After finishing homework, Shangguan Yi didn't leave the bath yet. His hand stroked her hair naturally as he asked.

"With the high-grade essence pills you gave me, how could I face any obstacles in my cultivation?" Shuang'er replied with a slightly unpleasant voice.

She still felt quite a bit of pain and exhaustion; every time this man engaged with her, she could do nothing but beg him to stop, yet for some reason, he would only go harder on her.

"Oh, what is that tone? It seems like you still haven't learned your lesson." Unhurriedly, Shangguan Yi slowly moved his hand to her two peaks.

Shuang'er suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and raised her hands to protect herself.

"My cultivation has progressed smoothly, greatly, better than in the Azure Cloud Pavilion," she hurriedly said.

"Oh? Then how long do you think it will take for you to break through to the Core Formation Realm?" He stopped teasing her and asked in a simple tone.

Hearing this, Shuang'er didn't immediately answer him. She was quiet for a while before responding with a solemn face, "I'm confident I can reach the peak of level 10 in the Foundation Establishment Realm within three years. As for breaking through to the Core Formation Realm, I'm not sure how long it will take to accumulate my foundation before I can attempt it."

Shangguan Yi nodded slightly, his expression still calm. He wasn't surprised by her answer. Instead, he agreed with the importance of accumulating a strong foundation; even he had faced the same challenge before trying to break through to the Core Formation Realm.

Shangguan Yi then looked into the Cultivation Function to see if he could gain comprehension of the water path from the system. Unfortunately, there was only comprehension of the flame path, which he had cultivated. This did not suit Shuang'er.

Shuang'er had cultivated and built her foundation on a water-type technique. Her foundation ran deep with water techniques, and while changing her cultivation technique now was not too late, she would need to spend more time comprehending the new technique. The problem still lay with her special physique; her talent was most suitable for cultivating water-type techniques.

However, Shangguan Yi didn't stop there. He checked the Pill Function, and the result satisfied him: there was a Water Comprehension Pill available.

Normally, to refine a Comprehension Pill, a pill refiner needed to have comprehension corresponding to the path being refined. But Shangguan Yi was different; he didn't refine the pills himself—the system did. All he needed was to find the ingredients.

Looking at his current stock of ingredients, he had almost everything except for the most important component—the Golden Fish. Golden Fish lived in areas abundant with natural world essence. It had unique water skills and was very smart. Cooking a Golden Fish could help Cultivators gain a small comprehension of the water path. Therefore, few Cultivators were willing to sell it, and every time a Golden Fish appeared, it would sell immediately at a high price.

For the current Shangguan Yi, obtaining even a single Golden Fish was very challenging. However, he wasn't worried. The system gave him a workaround: he could replace the Golden Fish with the brains of Cultivators who had cultivated water-type techniques.

Soon after, Shangguan Yi's attention shifted from the Pill Function back to Shuang'er. Simultaneously, he focused on the Being Function, allowing information about Shuang'er to surface in his mind.

Name: Xia Wushuang

Age: 25

Physique: Tranquil Ocean (Epic-grade)

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (7th level)

Cultivation Technique: Falling Serene Water Technique (level 2 mid-grade)

Combat Technique: Two Steps, Falling Hydration

Location: Red Maple City, Shanxi County, Changan Province, Cloud State, Blazing Wind Country

Occupation: Tea Master (level 1)

During the process, his actions appeared normal to an outsider, as if he was merely pondering something. Shuang'er didn't interrupt him while seeing him was deep in thought.

After a while, he redirected his attention from the system.

"Let me see your cultivation technique," he suddenly said.

Shuang'er had no reason to refuse. She took out an Information Pearl and, at the same time, condensed her thoughts to record her memories of the Falling Serene Water Technique into the Pearl before handing it to Shangguan Yi.

Shangguan Yi accepted it and scanned it with his Divine Sense. Information about the Falling Serene Water Technique entered his mind and was recorded by the system.

"Your current cultivation technique is still too basic. I'll give you a new one in a few days," he said after reviewing the information.

"Really? If that's the case, I will progress faster by a year." Shuang'er turned around to face him, hugging him on the spot with a slight blush on her face.

"Little girl, chaos times are approaching. It's best for you to be stronger and become my helper." Shangguan Yi lifted her small body and stepped out of the bath, heading toward the bed.

Their intimate time began again, and it was two hours later that Shangguan Yi finally returned to his room.

On his way, Shangguan Yi swept his Divine Sense to inform Xia Zu and Xia Fu. Neither of them dared to linger, setting aside their cultivation and rushing to the Meditation Garden. When Shangguan Yi arrived at the pavilion, both were already standing there, waiting for him.

"Great Ancestor," they greeted respectfully.

Shangguan Yi nodded slightly before speaking. "Our targets this time will be the western suburbs. We will act separately. I will handle the higher-ups, and you both focus on clearing the scene. It doesn't matter how many families you can visit; return before dawn."

They exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement. They had personally witnessed Shangguan Yi's techniques and knew how terrifying they were. Following him into battle wouldn't add much.

Shangguan Yi didn't linger either. After giving the names of the families where they would start and handing them two small versions of the concealment array, he departed immediately.

In just five minutes, Shangguan Yi arrived at the first target. He quickly swept his Divine Sense to locate the false Core Formation Cultivators and took action. Like before, the ancestors of that family couldn't grasp the situation before they were burned to ash by Shangguan Yi. This time, his core essence was denser, taking only eight seconds to reduce them to ashes. He didn't stop there, as he swept his Divine Sense and locked onto the Cultivators who cultivated water-type techniques. In the blink of an eye, many Cultivators screamed in pain as they burned. The screams died down in a few minutes.

Without lingering, Shangguan Yi continued his grim task, visiting one family after another. His movements were swift and ruthless, leaving no room for resistance. He targeted another twenty families, each attack executed with the same deadly precision. The night air filled with the acrid smell of burning flesh and the lingering echoes of terrified screams.

During his assault on the fifth family, Xia Zu and Xia Fu arrived at the first family he had visited. They couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock. There were fires everywhere, and people were running in chaos. The scene was one of utter devastation.

"Great Ancestor's power is truly fearsome," Xia Fu muttered, trying to keep his composure.

"We must focus on our task," Xia Zu replied, shaking off the shock. "We can't afford to fall behind."

They quickly set to work, clearing the scene as instructed. The devastation left in Shangguan Yi's wake made their task easier, as resistance had already been crushed. They moved efficiently, their years of experience showing in their swift and precise actions. Each family they visited was left in a similar state of chaos and destruction, fires raging and remnants of combat strewn about.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yi continued his relentless assault. The families he targeted never stood a chance. His attacks were unpredictable, each one aimed at dismantling the power structures of these mid-grade families. His core essence burned brightly, a testament to his formidable cultivation and the ruthless efficiency of his methods.

Two hours later, he returned to the Xia Family, and it was still the dead of night. The moon cast its faint light over the courtyard, shrouded in silence. The horizon showed no signs of the approaching dawn yet. Shangguan Yi's expression remained calm, though a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

Another two hours later, Xia Zu and Xia Fu arrived, looking exhausted but determined.

"Great Ancestor, we have completed our task, here are the spoils." Xia Zu reported, bowing respectfully before handed twenty of Space Rings to Shangguan Yi.

Shangguan Yi accepted them and poured all the treasures outside: mountains of essence stones, pill ingredients, artifact materials, array materials, cultivation techniques, combat techniques, and many other treasures.

Shangguan Yi took 60% of them before handing the rest to Xia Zu and Xia Fu.

They had never seen so many treasures before and accepted them happily, leaving in high spirits.

As the first light of dawn broke over Red Maple City, the extent of the night's devastation began to become apparent. The western suburbs were in turmoil, with all families struggling to comprehend the sudden and brutal attacks. Whispers of a powerful cultivator spread quickly, and fear gripped the hearts of those who heard the stories.

"Damn it, that demonic Cultivator has appeared again! We can't let him run amok like this. Inform all the families in the city and issue a warrant!" Fu Bo, a City Lord of Red Maple City, exclaimed upon hearing the news.

Shangguan Yi knew that his actions would not go unnoticed. The City Lord Manor and the higher-grade families would soon take action.